What Are You Doing, January 28th

Years ago, a little over 15 years now, I was having a conversation with a friend who was planning his birthday trip. He shared with me, that he had decided within the last couple of years, that he would not be home for his birthday. His gift to himself would be a destination, somewhere away from his home. This was something that made me think, What if?... What if I could plan at least one vacation out of the 12 months, 365 days of a year. I had the earned time from work and I had no problems requesting and taking my time off. A getaway just for me. I wouldn’t be selfish, others would be welcome to join me, But this particular time away would be My vacation. The next January 27th, I started my traveling for BIRTHday! This would become the one time, one trip, that I look forward to every year. I travel a lot throughout the year, both near and far. Sometimes plans are made, then altered or even cancelled.  But THIS? This is different.  I made a self-pledge long ago: If God allowed me to see another BIRTHday, I would thank Him by seeing more of his beauty. And with that… I’m BOOKED!  

Are you taking time to take time off? Are you booked?

There’s a Day that has been designated as a rather important day on the calendar. It doesn’t quite measure up to Birthdays, Christmas or even Valentine’s Day. It may even surprise you that it even exists. It’s called National Plan for Vacation Day. Yeah, I made that same face when I heard about this too. The day was established in 2015, to get Americans to commit to taking their time off—and use those days off to travel.  I remember being at my doctor’s office once and finding out that my Physician’s Assistant was not there. I asked about her because other than the time she took off to bring her beautiful baby girl into this world, she was always there when I had an appointment. I was told she had taken a week off after learning that she was in danger of losing her unused vacation time. I can’t believe how often I hear this. Each time I think to myself, “Boy! Some people can take this Dedication a little too far”. Showing up for your job sick or delaying dealing with personal issues like grief can cause you more bad, than good for the company. I know of a mother who’d experienced the sudden loss of her son and still felt the need to report to work the next day. What good did that do for anyone? Now, I know that everyone deals with grief in their own way, but THAT one I may never understand.  Before I ended my career, I was up to 6 weeks of vacation and 5 personal days, and you better believe didn’t lose one day or hour of that my Earned time! It has been reported that last year more than 768 million vacation days went unused. (Whew! That was hard to type). So, what can be done to help America put those vacation days to use? Let us, me included, encourage them to make and keep a plan. Research shows that individuals who plan are more likely to use all of their time off, take more vacation days at once and report greater levels of happiness at work and at home.

Taking time off is good for you. It makes you Happier, Productive, Healthier, and better connected with your family and friends. If you use that time to Travel, you take those benefits to another level. Now you get an opportunity to add experiences and most importantly to me, make some precious and unforgettable Memories.

So, the date again is, January 28, 2020. Thats Tuesday, 01/28/2020, National Plan for Vacation Day. My question to you is, Where are you going? Wherever it is, let me send you off with a Prayer for Traveling Grace. 🙏🏽

https://www.ustravel.org/toolkit/national-plan-vacation-day

Always remember: A change of latitude would help with your attitude. 👋